Recently I saw a blogTO article about “A massive Overwatch mural” that was being painted on King Street West. I was curious so off I went to check it out.

below: Here is the mural. Yes it’s big, but massive no. When I think massive I think Phlegm’s mural at Yonge and St. Clair, or Adrian Hayles music murals near Yonge and College. And whoa, what’s that in the bottom right corner? This is an ad for a video game and this is a picture of Karya, one of the characters. Under the heading of ‘you never know where things are going to lead’ – Overwatch is a multi-player team game where competitions are held and prizes won. There is an Overwatch World Cup which was won by South Korea in both 2016 and 2017. This year there was a Canadian team and they came second. Yeah Canada!

below: Around the corner is another mural. This one is painted onto the side of an old brick building by Omen514. As you can see, it is part of the most recent ad campaign by Sick Kids Hospital to raise 1.3 billion dollars to rebuild the hospital starting with the building at Elm and Elizabeth streets. The black and white of the mural matches the black and white of the video advertising. Omen514 had help from Nick Sweetman, Earth Crusher, Poser, and Five S, all of whom are street artists as well.

below: … And another mural in the same neighbourhood. This one is on the side of the Kiin restaurant (Thai) and as you can see, the name of the restaurant is in the mural. Again, street art but not street art. Whatever you choose to call it, it’s much more appealing than a blank grey wall.

below: Businesses, such as Champs Food Supplies pictured here, have been using murals to draw attention to themselves for a long time.

below: It is still standing even as it’s being dwarfed by the condo developments around it.

below: And even farther back in time – This is the MacLean building that was built in 1914 (designed by George Wallace Gouinlock). It is at 345 Adelaide St. West, and the sign is on the east side of building. Hugh C. MacLean publications was founded in 1909 by Hugh Cameron MacLean. It published mostly trade journals such as ‘Footwear in Canada’. The company was bought by the Southam family and become Southam-Macleans… and then finally Southam Business Publications in 1964. As it turns out, there were two MacLeans brothers in the publishing business, Hugh and brother John Bayne MacLean who founded the MacLean publishing company that would eventually become MacLean Hunter – the home of MacLeans magazine before it was swallowed up by Rogers Media.

below: This ghost sign is actually a double. The words ‘head office’ can be seen by the word MacLean and there is a box to the left of that. The number 33 is on the box and obviously means something. I haven’t been able to decipher the rest of the sign.

And then there is street art that is just that, decorations on a wall.

After I took the above photos and before I had finished writing this blog post, I came across another Sick Kids fundraising murals by the same artists as the one above.

below: Looking north up Broadview at Thompson street, just north of Queen.

below: The central portion of the mural.

below: In the mural the kids are collecting pieces of lumber, pipes, and concrete blocks. This is similar to the ad where kids are “running through city streets and alleyways, gathering building materials and running to an empty piece of land ready for construction.” (source)

below: My starting point the other day was Castle Frank subway station (Bloor Street East, close to the top of Parliament Street). This station opened in 1966 although the entrance that you see in the photo was an addition that was added only a few years ago.

below: An interesting round window in the station entrance. You can see part of the window in the picture above, peaking from around the side of the tree trunk.

below: The subway “tunnel” between Sherbourne and Castle Frank stations isn’t really a tunnel at all. This view surprised me – I know that I have driven under this structure on Rosedale Valley Road. I don’t recall knowing that it was for the subway.

below: Graffiti under the bridge… even though I am drawn to bridges I didn’t go down the hill to investigate. That can be another blog post at another not so muddy time. This spot can be accessed from the Rekai Family Parkette which is at the SE corner of Bloor and Parliament, tucked in between Bloor and St. James Cemetery.

below: More graffiti seen from the parkette.

below: St. James Cemetery was opened in July of 1844 at a time when the population of Toronto was around 18,000 and most of them lived south of Queen Street. The cemetery would have been out in the country but now, more than 150 years later, the cemetery is in the middle of the city. There are 89,000 interments here including two of my great x 2 (or 3?) grandparents and some of their descendants (they’re not shown in the picture though!).

below: A little reminder that Christmas wasn’t all that long ago.

The fastest route from Castle Frank to Cabbagetown is straight down Parliament Street. But of course, the direct route is rarely the one that I take. The area is full of little alleys and lanes and they all call to me.

below: These animals are part of a mural painted in support of Riverdale Farm which is nearby.

below: Reading the news, many newses.

below: In Flos Williams Lane there are a number of stenciled words. “Guilty until proven rich” I first saw here a couple of years ago. I don’t walk this lane very often so I’m not sure how long ago the other sayings appeared.

below: Like most walks, there were interesting windows to be seen.

below: …and doors too. A very bright orange door!

below: But unlike most walks, there was a giant gecko or lizard.

One of the appeals of Cabbagetown is the number of older houses, many of which are heritage buildings.

below: This house was built in 1858 and its first resident was Charles MacKay, a customs official who lived here from 1858 to 1865. The infill line of townhouses behind it are a much more recent development.

below: Cabbagetown has more of these ‘workers cottages’ or ‘gothic cottages’ than anywhere else I’ve walked. This arrangement of three identical houses in a row is especially rare (but not unique, at least not yet).

below: This cottage is in the middle of another threesome but they are not identical. The yellow door on the pale blue house is a wonderful colour combination. A little bit of sunshine.

below: Even though it has been renovated and an addition added to the back, this house still retains some of its historical roots.

below: And more history… I was attracted to this building by the beautiful double doors. Once I was close to the house, I noticed the ghost sign hiding behind the tree branches. The Daily Herald is no longer but it the mark it made here remains. A mysterious mark though because I can find no record of such a publication. In fact, probably “the sign had been part of a play or film that the home’s owner was involved in and he installed the sign on an act of whimsy.” (source, bottom of page) You gotta love whimsy!

below: Whimsy you say? Bright pink flamingo whimsy in a store window. They look like they’re ready for a rainy day.

below: There were also some store windows that were a bit more serious.

below: I think that Carlton and Parliament is one of the most colourful intersections in the city and I always enjoy passing this way. This is the view if you are standing in the middle of Carlton street and looking east towards Parliament.

below: This large colourful mural on the wall of Cabbagetown Corner Convenience, NE corner of Carlton and Parliament, has become a landmark since it was painted by Ryan Dineen in 2005.

below: The 506 Carlton streetcar makes its left turn from Parliament. It’s never a quick and easy turn. In fact, it’s usually frustratingly slow.

And in case you were wondering, yes, you can find cabbages in cabbagetown. This big one is on the Cabbagetown mural on the side of the LCBO building.

And yes, there is a lot more to Cabbagetown than this… and I will use that as an excuse to return another time!

We looked out side and saw that it was a beautiful sunny day!
These gals may be all dressed up with nowhere to go but I decided to hit the streets again.

window mannequins, Doll Factory by Damzels, Queen St East

below: It seems I’m in a neighbourhood that lovebot watches over and protects!

below: A ghost sign that has been revealed by demolition of a building on Queen Street East .
“Relieves fatigue, sold everywhere” is part of an old coca-cola ad. I wonder if 5 cents was a bargain at that time.

below: Another ghost sign. Mr. Frankfurt “Toronto’s hot dog king” opened their restaurant in July of 1984. It is long gone but the large yellow sign remains.

below: Peace and love encounter number two!

below: Love and concern of a different kind. Part of COUNTERfit memorial where people have scratched words and drawings into the metal. An angel, a heart, a dove, a coffin. “The war on drugs is a war on us”. “For every prohibition, you create an underground”. “Each death is an end of the world Cada muerie es un fin del mundo.” There is more to this memorial including a list of names as well as flowers and candles that have been left at the base of the metal sculpture.

below: Eddie’s Convenience with it’s bit of history. The mural on the wall is from an old photograph of Queen Street East circa 1926. The old “drink Canada Dry” sign that hangs over the doorway is a piece of history too. The faded words on the top of the sign say “Eddie’s Confectionery”. Does anyone know how old the sign might be?

below: More peace and love!

below: It seems like everywhere I go I encounter a building being demolished and today was no exception. The Church of Our Lady and St. Basil near Queen and Logan is in the process of coming down. It was not an old building.

below: Alley access is blocked beside the church.
You can see into the church where part of the exterior wall has been broken.

below: Dust drifts past the stained glass windows.

below: Valentine love (and Christmas bells) for all those who pass through the gate.
How can you resist smiling as you pass by?

below: A different house, a different arch over a gate – this time little balloon shaped objects made of fabric with tassles at the bottom. Do they have any significance?

below: A large plant grows inside.

below: A sunny day makes for interesting shadows.

below: A little bit of whimsy. Someone has hung three little decorative bird houses from the branch of a tree, not in someone’s front yard but by the sidewalk on Queen Street East.

below: And whimsy is good. This isn’t exactly cupid but it’s naked and has wings. Cupid as a grown-up?

below: Full circle, back to Doll Factory by Damzels – have a happy day!